Trinity
12 – August 13/14th, 2016 – Mark 7:31-37
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
I
don't know Pastor Brown! You said last week that we'd be talking
about “being justified” for a few weeks here, and then we had a
healing in our Gospel lesson. That's not some fancy-schmacy
justification text – in fact, I didn't hear the word “justified”
one single cotton picking time in any of those readings. And you're
partially right... you didn't. At least not directly. But if you
will, be patient, and let me lay some justification ground work here.
To be made just is the same idea, the same word in Greek, in fact,
as to be made “righteous”. In our Epistle lesson, Paul speaks of
a ministry of righteousness. Same idea. What Paul preaches, his
ministry is given to make people righteous, to make them justified,
to make them forgiven and clean and perfect. It is a ministry of
life – one that gives life. The Spirit gives life – we confess
in the Creed that the Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life. So
all this language in the Scriptures of justified, righteous,
forgiven, holy, life – it all boils down to this. God, in His love
for you, fixes sin and its impacts. He justifies you, He makes
things right again. Everything He does drives to this idea of
fixing, restoring, making folks who have been ravaged by sin right
again. And that is why, dear friends, our Gospel text is most
certainly about justification, about righteousness – about the Just
and righteous Christ bringing justification and righteousness with
Him. Listen.
[Jesus]
returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of
Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to Him a
man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to
lay a hand on Him.
Now, today, when we hear of this fellow, we want to think, “What's
wrong with his ears? What causes the speech impediment – is it
neurological, is it something structural?” We look at things in a
very, blunt, earthly, materialistic way. It's just something
physical. But one of the things that they understood in the ancient
world is that these physical problems that we see aren't utterly
detached from spiritual realities. They understood the idea of the
Fall – that because of sin and wickedness, all sorts of problems
and evils were unleashed upon the world. They understood that the
wages of sin was death – that sin meant that in this world things
were going to break down and fall apart and not work right – and
that when you saw someone whose ears didn't work, whose mouth didn't
work – this wasn't just a physical problem for some sort of medical
craftsman to fix. It pointed to a greater spiritual problem, it
reminded everyone of the condition of sinful man. Which is why, even
these people in the Decaoplis, the pagan cities on the far side of
the Sea of Galilee figure that maybe this Jesus, maybe this Holy,
Spiritual Man, can do something for this deaf fellow.
So
picture it in your mind – you have Jesus come into town, and
they've heard the rumors about Jesus. It was just south of them
where Jesus had cast out a bunch of demons – cast them into the
pigs. They've heard other tales from across the sea of Galilee, but
you know how those Galileans are, so excitable, not like us civilized
folks. So they bring this deaf man to Jesus – both in hope for the
deaf fellow and also as a challenge to Jesus. Alright Spiritual Man,
we've see you tangle with the demons, with the spirits – but is
your spiritual juju so strong that it will even fix the physical
world? Lay hands on Him, let's see what you got! Do you get the
sense of anticipation, of excitement, of spectacle. Bring the deaf
man up onto the stage and let's see what this Jesus can do, and then
we can all cheer and applaud!
But
that's not what Jesus does. He doesn't say, “Oh, is that what you
want – well (smack hands together), come on, be healed!” and
smack the deaf man upside the head like some religious huckster.
Listen to what Jesus does - “And taking him
aside from the crowd privately....”
It's not a show people. It's not a spectacle. It's not
entertainment time. Rather, this fellow here is in bad shape.
Consider. He's deaf. And Jesus has walked into town, and they say,
“Let's get deaf bob, get him healed” - so they picked this guy up
and dragged him through a crowd – and they didn't have sign
language back then, so he may not even have a clue as to what is
going on. And let's say that Jesus did heal him in front of the
crowd – what would they have done? Cheered like mad – so
suddenly you go from being deaf to where the first thing you hear is
the roar of the crowd. It would have been really messed up and
confusing. That ain't right – that's not how you do it. So Jesus
pulls the guy aside – let me deal with you one on one.
“He
put His fingers in his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.”
Now that Jesus has the fellow's attention – Jesus touches his
ears, his tongue. I'm going to deal with these for you – you've
been brought for a healing. You get that? You understand? And when
the fellow knows what is going on – then Jesus acts. And note how
He heals – because Jesus is teaching here. The crowd wanted Jesus
to fix things by laying his hand on – letting his mojo flow,
something like that. That's not what Jesus does. As the deaf man
watches, Jesus acts. “Looking up to heaven, He
signed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' And his
ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.”
Do
you see what Jesus teaches? Alright fella – I'm looking to heaven
because this is a spiritual thing going on here, and it needs a
Divine, heavenly answer. I hope you all didn't think I was just
making stuff up when I said physical aliments had a spiritual
component – it's right here in the text, that's why Jesus, to
explain what He's doing looks up and sighs, looks up and acts out a
prayer. And then Jesus speaks – Christ Jesus, the Word of God
incarnate speaks a word. He says “be opened”... and things are
opened. That's actually a pretty basic lesson on the relationship
between the spiritual and the physical – between God and His
creation. When God speaks, what He says happens. Be light – there
is light. Be opened – the ears are opened. The very first thing
this guy hears is the very Word that gives Him hearing. Which is all
sorts of wondrous.
And
then we get the ending that folks often get confounded by. “And
Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the
more zealously they proclaimed it.”
This idea consternates people. Well, why wouldn't Jesus want them
telling everyone? There's been many theories, possible explanations.
I tend to take it this way – they are already on the verge of a
frenzy. Jesus doesn't want them any more whipped up – because
generally when He heals, He also preaches – because, you know,
Spiritual things. The Spirit gives life. Except if they are all
busy running around and gabbing, they don't get to listen. Wait,
come back, we haven't had the sermon yet... oh. Well, there they go.
There's a time to listen, to get to the fullness of what is going
on. “And they were astonished beyond all
measure, saying, 'He has done all things well. He even makes the
deaf hear and the mute speak.'”
They get that they have seen creation restored. “He has done all
things well” - that's the same language you get in Genesis 1 at the
end of each of the days of creation – and it was good. They
understand that they've seen a fantastic miracle of creation, of
things being put right.
But
this was just the appetizer. It's not the main course. Jesus comes
to fix things. He is the Righteous One who comes bringing
righteousness. He comes to justify things. And this is certainly a
fixing – it's a making things right... but because the fellow was
still a sinner in a sinful world, you do know what happened? Well,
this deaf man who was healed. He's long since died. His body isn't
hearing things at the moment, his tongue isn't talking right now.
Neither are any of the folks in that crowd. Fixing the guys ears for
a time – that's just an appetizer, that's just a temporary fix.
And Jesus moves on to the greater fix. Because again, all these
physical problems flow from a greater spiritual problem – the
problem of sin and death. So that is what Jesus really has to deal
with. The very Word of God Himself becomes man, strides right smack
dab into the middle of death – goes to the Cross and dies... to
justify mankind, to place His righteousness over and against sin and
death – to wipe out death. Jesus rises to bring this justification
to light, to ensure that every single person who has suffered death
on account of sin is raised to life, a life where their ears work and
their tongues work because that's the way He had created us to be in
the beginning and He wasn't going to let Satan mess that up.
You see, the big fix, the big healing wasn't the deaf
guy hearing. However, because Jesus dies and rises – that deaf man
who has since died – well, he's going to be raised. He's going to
hear the trumpet, the cry of the archangel and be raised – and then
his mouth will rightly sing Christ's praise for all eternity. Us as
well. This actually plays in with the next section of Mark –
chapter 8 begins with the feeding of the 4000 – and they are all
excited then too... but no, that feeding was just an appetizer. The
real feast comes on the Last Day, when we are brought in full to the
feast of the Lamb that has no end.
And
what of us? Well, we're in a better spot – we know that Christ has
died and risen – we see a bit more clearly what is to come.
Granted, we are still sinners in a sinful world with bodies that age
and fall apart. Jesus healed the deaf man who had a speech
impediment – and yet here I am, preaching even with my own speech
all messed up to a congregation where there's a whole bunch of you
who if not deaf don't quite hear right. We're still in this world –
but Christ Jesus calls us to this place to see beyond just the
hum-drum cold realities of this world. He makes us to see spiritual
truths. You are baptized, you are forgiven, you go in peace, you
join in His Supper. These are all things we see now, realities we
have now – but they will blossom in full come the last day. You
who were washed clean in your baptism and joined to Christ's
resurrection there at the font – you have that now – but you'll
see it more come the last day. You have forgiveness now, your sin is
gone now – but come the last day when you are raised the former
things won't even be remembered, all lingering guilt will be gone.
You have peace now, but you get buffeted constantly by the world and
your sinful flesh – again, come the Last Day – just peace. And
with the Supper – well, we get the foretaste of the feast to come –
a bit of bread and a small cup of wine is hardly a hearty appetizer –
but your seat at the eternal feast is well prepared, and when all is
ready, Christ will call you to that feast, and nothing, not sin, not
death, not Satan will be able to get in you way, nothing will be able
to separate you from that loving feast of God. Why?
Because you are justified. Because Christ Jesus loves
to justify people – to make them just and right and proper and good
and how they were meant to be. Even as He's on His way to the cross,
He does a little touch up work on the way – guy, let's fix those
ears and that tongue for a bit – but His focus is always on the
true prize, having you redeemed from sin and death and with Him for
all eternity. Jesus justifies you – He gives you life, life you see
now in part, and then in full. And so now, we'll go on with service
– I'll slur my way through the liturgy and we'll hit the ocassional
off-key note in our singing, and we'll creak our way to the altar –
justified now yet looking towards the completion come the Last Day.
And it will come – for you are justified by Christ Jesus. In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
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